emirates7 - At BRIDGE Summit 2025, the world’s largest debut media event, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire and Binance CEO Richard Teng shared a candid and forward-looking discussion on how Web3 will shift global ownership, economic participation, and financial infrastructure.
Moderator Erik LaPaglia Managing Partner, NextTech Ventures, opened the session titled ‘Web3 and the New Rules of Ownership,’ highlighting “the 600 to 800 million people globally holding digital assets,” setting the stage for a conversation on what must change as the ecosystem expands.
Allaire projected a dramatic rise in stablecoin adoption. “In the coming years, we’ll see stablecoins grow to as much as US$4 trillion in circulation. Stablecoins are becoming a form of electronic money that is in the background for people all over the world. Users are increasingly viewing them as the most high-utility, kind of safest form of money, native internet money.”
He added that scaling from hundreds of millions to billions of users will require stablecoins to “come more into the front,” praising Binance’s wallet and payments experience for making onboarding straightforward.
Teng framed the rise of digital assets as a reaction to long-standing limitations in traditional finance. “If you look at traditional financial infrastructure, it is still very slow. When you do things like cross-border, it takes two to three days. With stablecoin and crypto, it is 10 minutes at a fraction of the cost. Blockchain is solving big problems, enabling better distribution of rewards, faster transferability, and transparent rights management.”
Allaire added that blockchain is now at a moment similar to when mobile technology reached with the arrival of iOS and Android. “More and more economic activity is going to move on-chain. The entirety of what it is to be an economic actor in the world is going to move on this infrastructure over the next roughly 10 years,” he said.
While the panel focused on technical and economic futures, both speakers signaled —implicitly through their remarks — a recognition of the UAE as a place where progress accelerates.
Teng referenced Binance’s milestone announcement of reaching 300 million users worldwide, made the day before on 8th December in Abu Dhabi, as well as the company’s newly announced global license at ADGM, framing the UAE as a jurisdiction that provides “a lot more credibility” for global growth.
Allaire noted Circle’s expanding collaborations across blockchain networks and stablecoin issuers, positioning cross-border payments as one of the “killer apps” with rapidly growing adoption, a momentum reinforced by being in a global convergence point like BRIDGE Summit.
Their presence and announcements in Abu Dhabi illustrated the Summit’s core purpose: bridging global actors in an environment that enables real movement, not just discussion.
The panel was part of a 300+ session programme that reflects BRIDGE Summit’s scale and ambition. The debut edition of BRIDGE Summit takes place from 8–10 December 2025 at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi.
Moderator Erik LaPaglia Managing Partner, NextTech Ventures, opened the session titled ‘Web3 and the New Rules of Ownership,’ highlighting “the 600 to 800 million people globally holding digital assets,” setting the stage for a conversation on what must change as the ecosystem expands.
Allaire projected a dramatic rise in stablecoin adoption. “In the coming years, we’ll see stablecoins grow to as much as US$4 trillion in circulation. Stablecoins are becoming a form of electronic money that is in the background for people all over the world. Users are increasingly viewing them as the most high-utility, kind of safest form of money, native internet money.”
He added that scaling from hundreds of millions to billions of users will require stablecoins to “come more into the front,” praising Binance’s wallet and payments experience for making onboarding straightforward.
Teng framed the rise of digital assets as a reaction to long-standing limitations in traditional finance. “If you look at traditional financial infrastructure, it is still very slow. When you do things like cross-border, it takes two to three days. With stablecoin and crypto, it is 10 minutes at a fraction of the cost. Blockchain is solving big problems, enabling better distribution of rewards, faster transferability, and transparent rights management.”
Allaire added that blockchain is now at a moment similar to when mobile technology reached with the arrival of iOS and Android. “More and more economic activity is going to move on-chain. The entirety of what it is to be an economic actor in the world is going to move on this infrastructure over the next roughly 10 years,” he said.
While the panel focused on technical and economic futures, both speakers signaled —implicitly through their remarks — a recognition of the UAE as a place where progress accelerates.
Teng referenced Binance’s milestone announcement of reaching 300 million users worldwide, made the day before on 8th December in Abu Dhabi, as well as the company’s newly announced global license at ADGM, framing the UAE as a jurisdiction that provides “a lot more credibility” for global growth.
Allaire noted Circle’s expanding collaborations across blockchain networks and stablecoin issuers, positioning cross-border payments as one of the “killer apps” with rapidly growing adoption, a momentum reinforced by being in a global convergence point like BRIDGE Summit.
Their presence and announcements in Abu Dhabi illustrated the Summit’s core purpose: bridging global actors in an environment that enables real movement, not just discussion.
The panel was part of a 300+ session programme that reflects BRIDGE Summit’s scale and ambition. The debut edition of BRIDGE Summit takes place from 8–10 December 2025 at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi.